The Khonoma Tribe's Conservation of Environment and Tradition

In Nagaland, a north-eastern Indian State, the Khonoma Tribe has been able to retain there way of life  for centuries in this secluded, rural area. Hunting is a key component to their culture as evident by their tradition of hanging animal heads inside their homes, though the village chose to give up that key component of hunting nearly 20 years ago. As the article states, tribespeople gave up hunting in 1993 and started a campaign after discovering that grey-bellied Tragopans became an endangered species.  These birds were primarily killed for consumption. The campaigns efforts to save Tragopans were successful in that they resulted in the village council sectioning off 20 sq km as a no hunting zone, and later in 1998 this area was named the Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary, which was later followed by the councils decision to ban any type of environmental exploitation. The Khonoma still believe in the skill and courage that hunting represents, but now they are more ecologically sensitive and take great pride in the ecological diversity that surrounds them. They respect the environment even in their agricultural practices by not using any chemicals and by using irrigation and terraced farming, so they can still live off the land, but not completely drain it. Lastly, the article ends with a quote by the chairman of the sanctuary about his people that "our life, tradition, and culture are very much dependent on nature and its habitats and we are determined to protect them."

Picture: Sayan Hazra

Source:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-45328322